Edinburgh Princes Street to reopen on Saturday seven weeks after devastating fire

Princes Street in Edinburgh will fully open on Saturday - seven weeks after a major fire at the former Debenham’s building.

Pedestrian access will be restored between Castle Street and Frederick Street for the first time since July 9, with Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams also working to resume services.

Plans had been in place to reopen the street on Monday (August 31).

Testing is due to take place overnight on Friday, with trams running their full route from Edinburgh Airport to Newhaven and all city centre bus diversions also ending subject to its success.

The three eastbound bus stops between Castle Street and Frederick Street will remain closed, with westbound bus stops unaffected. Passengers are urged to check service providers timetables.

Council Leader Jane Meagher said the reopening is a “significant step in the city’s recovery” from the devastating fire.

The site of the Princes Street fire | Lisa Ferguson/The Scotsman

Cllr Meagher said: “This has been an incredibly difficult few weeks for the city, not least given the timing, and I’m pleased that we can now turn our attention to getting Edinburgh back to normal as helping those businesses most affected to get back on their feet.

“A great deal of effort has gone on behind the scenes to make this possible – and my thanks go to our council teams and engineers who have carried out painstaking work to make the building secure as quickly and safely as possible. I also want to thank Lothian Buses, and their drivers, for keeping the city moving and our residents and visitors for their patience.”

Cllr Meagher said that the disruption “underlined the critical importance and popularity” of the city’s tram network. Businesses in Leith have highlighted the impact of the tram network’s disruption in recent weeks.

Cllr Meagher continued: “With that in mind, I’m pleased that our business support campaign ‘More by the Shore’ is taking shape – and will soon be encouraging more residents and visitors to explore Leith, the Shore and Newhaven, and visit the fantastic local businesses there. This activity is planned to run well beyond the reopening of Princes Street, over the festive period and into the new year.”

Remedial work is set to continue with some disruption. The pavement on the north side of Princes Street will remain closed—one lane of the eastbound carriageway will be used as a temporary pedestrian walkway.

Sarah Boyd, Chief Executive for Lothian and Edinburgh Trams said: “We welcome the news that Princes Street is due to reopen on Saturday 29 August.

“Our teams are now focused on reinstating bus and tram services along one of the city’s most important transport corridors and we encourage customers to check the latest service updates and allow extra time for travel.

“I would like to thank our customers for their patience, understanding and support throughout this period of continued disruption. We are also grateful to our colleagues, whose professionalism, flexibility and commitment continued to keep Edinburgh moving during a particularly challenging time.

“Finally, we would like to acknowledge the close collaboration of our partners, including the emergency services, the City of Edinburgh Council and other agencies involved in responding to this incident. Their collective efforts have helped ensure services can begin to return safely and efficiently for the benefit of Edinburgh’s residents, visitors and businesses.”

Reacting to the news, Dr Scott Arthur, MSP for Edinburgh South West, thanked those involved in the return to normality—along with residents, commuters and visitors for their patience.

He said: “A huge thank you to the emergency services, council staff, engineers, Lothian Buses, Edinburgh Trams and everyone who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the building safe and keep the city moving. I'd also like to thank residents, commuters and visitors for their patience over the past seven weeks.

“While some temporary arrangements will remain in place as remedial work continues, reopening Princes Street is an important milestone in Edinburgh's recovery and a welcome step back towards normality.”